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  • Hunting High and Low Live Show

United Kingdom, London - Royal Albert Hall

Tuesday 05 November 2019

Photo: Stian Andersen

LONDON:

«He never will forget at all
The day he played at Albert Hall.»
- Ray Davies

Whenever you get offered to play Royal Albert Hall, you do it. It is as simple as that. The eternal number one with a bullet. Charmed life. All blessing. No curse.

This was the seventh time for us. Starting with a bang on those magic nights in 1986. A three day New Year’s Eve. Next time was in 2002, after the Swedish resurrection. Then came the evening with all the solo projects in 2008 and a synthetic resurrection. 2010 brought HHAL from A to Z. Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra joined in to boot, as a follow-up to our charity show for Mercy Ships at Oslo Concert House earlier in the week. That show was recorded by the BBC and bootlegged on iTunes. We had plans to mix and release the real thing to catch up with the pirates, but the radio guys managed to lose the recording. Priceless spanner in the works. Man plans, god laughs.

You never know who is going to show up at Royal Albert Hall. That is because of the box system, dating back to 1871. Box holders may or may not choose to release the seats in their boxes for sale and they may or may not choose to show up. You do know it is going to be festive event full of friends and family. Maybe even a few enemies. And you do know it will always be a great crowd. The room usually plays itself, and this was no exception. No barriers. No problem.

We take great pride in the new visual design and direction of the show, courtesy of Knut Helgeland, Icarus Wilson Wright and Stu Farrell. Needs to be a thing of beauty if you are going to place a screen in front of that organ, and it delivers! Fantastic to see it work in such treasured and distinctive surroundings, amplified by all of you who took the time to come. You allowing us to do this is deeply appreciated!

Backstage buzz into the late hours at Bertie’s Bar. The Warner hub is close and present and former staff turned out in force. Thank you for that. Honored to meet Alan Tarney, provider of the magic touch, backstage. And Martin Terefe, provider of the acoustic resurrection. Brilliant to see familiar glitterati from home and abroad. Harry Potteresque visit from The Italian sorceress Magica De Spell as well as Mad Madam Mim. Bright, but bonkers, both of them. Never boring.

So the whole HHAL tour routing was built 18 months ago around this event, when the concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington came up for grabs. No buts about it. An offer you can’t refuse. So what if it was a Tuesday night! No one cares, because time stands still at Royal Albert Hall. That means you cannot go back to 1985, unless you never left. Thanks, London. See you at Wembley next year!

TS // Photos: Stian Andersen

Set List:

  • Take On Me
  • Train Of Thought
  • Hunting High And Low
  • The Blue Sky
  • Living A Boy's Adventure Tale
  • The Sun Always Shines On TV
  • And You Tell Me
  • Love Is Reason
  • I Dream Myself Alive
  • Here I Stand And Face The Rain
  • Analogue
  • Foot Of The Mountain
  • The Swing Of Things
  • Crying In The Rain
  • Sycamore Leaves
  • Digital River
  • I've Been Losing You
  • Stay On These Roads
  • Scoundrel Days
  • The Living Daylights

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